Chapter 20: Random Disease

"You little rat, come back here!!"

Tai Tu was now running in the middle of the chaotic battlefield in which the sect had been reduced as he chased Ling Zhou. He passed through many chaotic battles, almost getting hurt because of the dangerous terrain, but he still couldn't reach the other guy.

'It seems the situation is getting more and more complex.'

He thought, trying his best to increase his speed and scanning the surroundings. There were fights breaking out every hundred meters; the disciples of Gray Grass Sect had started to fight back.

'After I catch that annoying pest, I should go and deal with Stick-boy. Maybe the brat is already dead. Should I go get something to eat after? I'm hungry.'

He kept chasing, but his thoughts were getting stranger.

'Who will win the Outer Disciple's 1v1 Tournament? Would they be strong? Wait, I got injured or why does my neck hurt? When was the last time I pooped? Can cultivators do that? I don't remember going to the bathroom…

If I was a boulder, would I be gray or brown? If I was reincarnated into a cultivation technique, which should I choose?'

The three pills he had consumed in the last couple of days started to show their secondary effects. His mind became erratic; random ideas surged without waiting for the rest to disappear.

His rationality became a lost ship in the middle of an infinite sea; it was lost. He was conscious, but his mood, memories and sensations were constantly changing, as if he was experiencing many situations at the same time.

Tai Tu was lost in a constantly fluctuating imaginary world; his reality became a dream in which the scenario changed every couple seconds. However, it felt normal to him.

He experienced many unmatching moments; he was cultivating at times, chatting with people, exploring, fighting, thinking and eating, yet he couldn't realize when his layer of perception blurred and his consciousness was transported into another reality.

Natural, that's how it felt for him. After a few seconds in this state, he stopped running; whatever had happened to his mind started afflicting his body.

He danced, sat, drank imaginary beverages, fought with the air, laughed, jumped and spoke, yet no person could perceive his strange behavior.

Well… there was an exception.

Yi Ren was seeing this with a curious expression. He had been roaming stealthily for a while as he couldn't change back into his disguise. He saw Ling Zhou running away from someone and came by to check, following after them.

Even if Tai Tu was invisible, Yi Ren could easily see him. His extremely complex, but beautiful red eyes scanned the former as he did all sorts of random movements that made no sense, had no pattern and were completely unpredictable.

He had cleaned the blood that fell on him while he was roaming around, so his face and skin were now very neat. His clothes were still tattered and bloodied, though, but, paired with his face, they only gave him a demonic charm.

"Isn't this guy the one Ling Zhou defeated? He did force a weird pill upon him… What's this strange condition?" He spoke to himself, thinking. He hadn't seen anything like this before, so he was quite puzzled.

"This is… very interesting, what a shame there's no time. I'll take no risks." After muttering to himself again, he fixed his gaze on Tai Tu's body, which was now acting as if it was falling.

Immediately after, Tai Tu blew into pieces, invisible pieces.

Yi Ren was about to dust himself off and leave, but was stopped by a familiar voice.

"Who are you!?"

Ling Zhou asked, sounding wary for the first time. He couldn't see Tai Tu, but he could hear him. When he stopped hearing the footsteps, he thought his plan to lure him had failed, so he went back to try to enrage him a little more.

Upon returning, the first thing he saw was the back of a white-haired adolescent boy who was gazing at nothing.

Since Ling Zhou had learnt the faces and features of every disciple and elder of Gray Grass Sect before infiltrating, he knew that this person wasn't one of them.

He would've suspected that the boy was from Flamig Swamp Sect, but those people had been strictly ordered to stay in groups of at least five…

If the person in front of him was from neither of the sects, and had somehow infiltrated into a deeply guarded perimeter without an elder noticing, he really had a reason to be worried.

Furthermore, he heard a strange sound in the direction the boy was looking at. It was… flesh? Why would it sound like flesh being torn apart?

"So you weren't escaping after all, were you, Junior Brother Ling? Have you finally revealed your true colors?"

The white-haired boy spoke. He slowly turned around until both of his eyes could be seen.

Ling Zhou recognized the voice, but he felt, no, he knew something wasn't right. A second later, he finally understood the situation.

"I'm not the only one who has revealed his true colors, Senior Brother Yi." He said, preparing the talisman his uncle had given him in case of an emergency. That was the reason the latter wasn't worried when he received Ling Zhou's letter.

"Did you confirm that the item you were looking for was here, or else what was the reason for you to call for an attack?"

"You seem to know too much, Brother Yi. As expected of you." Ling Zhou kept stalling with an amicable grin, ready to use his trump card at any moment.

"I have good eyes, you see… Sometimes it seems like I'm just existing, but I see everything. A blessing? A curse? It was a curse until a few years ago, but I'm alright. You won't have to use whatever you are preparing. Don't worry, I still have a use for you."

Ling Zhou might be crazy, but he wasn't stupid. He knew he wasn't a match to Yi Ren even since he first saw him. He had a good instinct.

"I'm glad to hear that."

"Just one thing I've always wanted to ask, Junior Brother Ling."

"Go ahead, I'll answer with all my sincerity."

'Why do people want to kill me when they see how I really look?' Yi Ren pondered in his mind, but didn't word it out.

"No, it won't change anything even if I know."

"Good. No, if you excuse me, I'll be taking my leave-"

"Ah, one more thing. What was happening to that guy?"

"W-What guy?"

"The one I blew up."

"Y-You did that… I don't know, maybe he blew up?"

"I'm talking about before I killed him. He was acting very strangely."

"He was invisible, I couldn't see him."

"Really? What a shame."

Ling Zhou was slowly but surely getting farther and farther away, however, a girly voice called out to him before he had enough distance to leave.

"Ling Zhou! There you are! Don't try running away."

"Senior Sister Ming, long time no see."

He replied, looking in every direction. After finding out that Yi Ren wasn't in sight, he heaved a sigh of relief. He then focused on the girl with pretty, pink eyes in front of him, feeling more relaxed than before.

"There's no need for worthless resistance, Ling Zhou. Give yourself up, you'll save the lives of hundreds."

"It is too late for that, can't you see around you? The situation won't be resolved even if you had ten more hostages."

"I thought you were just a weird kid. I couldn't be more wrong… What could the other guys be hiding?"

Ling Zhou only smiled, staring silently at the girl in front of him.

'You can't even imagine.' He thought, internally making fun of her.

"Even if capturing you saves a single life, I have to do it. I hope you don't mind, Junior Brother."

"I do not mind, but it won't be very easy. You see…"

Ten people that couldn't be seen until now came out of the dark fog in the distance, surrounding Ling Zhou and Ming Daiyu, keeping their distance.

"I'm quite an important person outside the sect." He finished his words as he retreated without taking his gaze away from Ming Daiyu.

Four people advanced as he went back, each having a different weapon in their hands. They were all close combat cultivators in the Second Realm; they would attack Ming Daiyu while the other six, who were only at the First Realm, gave support from the back.

Those weaker were spread in an hexagonal formation, making it easier for their attacks to reach the target.

"What do we do about the boy from earlier? Should we send another team after him?"

A girl at one of the vertices of the hexagon asked Ling Zhou as he arrived next to her.

"Don't mind him. You'd probably all die if you faced him. He's a Zal, a blessed one."

The girl let out a gasp of shock. 'Weren't the Zal already extinct? On top of that, he was a blessed one?' She thought. Her voice cracked a couple of times before she continued asking.

"D-Do we call an elder? They're all busy right now, but-"

"I'd recommend just letting him be. But that might not be an option, so let's wait. Tell my uncle to prepare me a couple of the 'good' pills, I deserve at least that much. I'll be leaving the rest to you, I have something to do."

"U-Understood! The girl slightly bowed as she returned to her position, glaring at the one in the center."